Article 4 - Substitution of new articles for Articles 81 and 82 - Constitution (7th Amendment) Act, 1956

Substitution of new articles for Articles 81 and 82 . 4. For Articles 81 and 82 of the Constitution, the following articles shall be substituted , namely: Composition of the House of the People. 81.(1) Subject to the provisions of Article 331, the House of the People shall consist of ( a ) not more than five hundred members chosen by direct election from territorial constituencies in the States; and ( b ) not more than twenty members to represent the Union Territories, chosen in such manner as Parliament may by law provide. (2) For the purposes of sub-clause ( a ) of clause (1), ( a ) there shall be allotted to each State a number of seats in the House of the People in such manner that the ratio between that number and the population of the State is, so far as practicable, the same for all States; and ( b ) each State shall be divided into territorial constituencies in such manner that the ratio between the population of each constituency and the number of seats allotted to it is, so far as practicable, the same throughout the State. (3) In this article, the expression population means the population as ascertained at the last preceding census of which the relevant figures have been published. Readjustment after each census. 82. Upon the completion of each census, the allocation of seats in the House of the People to the State and the division of each State into territorial constituencies shall be readjusted by such authority and in such manner as Parliament may by law determine: Provided that such readjustment shall not affect representation in the House of the People until the dissolution of the then existing House.